Won't call it a great film but there was one film which was hyped on a great villain, great visuals and path breaking graphics for Indian cinema but the climax was so lame that I was thinking “so much buildup for this?”
The film I am talking about is Ra.One (2011). The basic premise of the film was a super villain who comes out of a game and creates havoc and now the superhero who is considerably weaker than the villain needs to step up. To be honest the premise was intriguing but the screenplay was messy and meandeting. The film picks up in the second half and we have some of the best CGI of indian cinema at that time that are immensely watchable even today. I loved the tank sequence and when Ra.One breaks into piecesand then reassemble. Also the Ra.One train sequence was better than the train sequence in Robot.
The first two stages of the game were very nicely executed and we see some good visuals and action. But the climax is so lame with the two people using a gun to aim at each other. It was so low on energy and it ended so early that you don't feel anything. The climax had the power to elevate the whole film but it lacked the punch and the film ended up a bit unconvincing in the end. The film could have been a trendsetter in Indian cinema with better screenplay and a better climax.
I was reminded of the French film *Perfume: The Story of a Murderer*.
When I saw the protagonist born in the slums and beginning to learn perfume-making from a merchant, I thought it was an inspirational film; when the beautiful woman appeared, I expected a romance. Only after finishing it did I realize it was an art-house film.
Fate denied the protagonist a scent of his own but endowed him with an unparalleled sense of smell. Shunned from birth—even abandoned by his mother—he lived a life where those who cast him aside met with retribution; for every deprivation, he received a greater gift. His unique talent allowed him to gradually escape his wretched surroundings and pursue a better future, yet his inner obsession drove him to commit a series of murders.
The apple girl he encountered earlier didn't even know him; she was accidentally killed simply because her scent captivated him.
Then there was the nobleman's daughter; even after watching the film several times, I still don't understand what heinous act she committed to warrant such a fate—being hunted down to the ends of the earth just to be killed.
I feel this wasn't merely about his obsession with fragrance, but also a deep-seated jealousy toward the "perfect" girl. Lacking a scent of his own, he envied those who possessed their own unique aromas.
When he was captured, I expected a death sentence, yet the thousands of citizens and the judges in the square were utterly bewitched by his perfume. Hypnotized by the scent, they ceased to see Grenouille as a murderer, viewing him instead as a pure, flawless angel or deity, and even descended into a state of collective frenzy.
The protagonist's ultimate self-destruction was an act of pure self-indulgence. He had obtained everything he desired, yet he remained utterly alone—unloved and unaccepted for who he truly was. Without the perfume, he was once again nothing more than the infant abandoned
by the fishmonger, the cheap laborer passed from employer to employer; he was a nobody. Thus, he returned to a state of nothingness—as if he had never existed in this world at all.
Gautam Gambhir- When the Man of Crisis almost saved India’s day-
It was the Commonwealth Bank Series of 2008. India was facing Australia in a high voltage group clash.
Australia skipper R. T. Ponting won the toss and elected to bat first,on what appeared to be a flat SCG pitch.
A magnificent 124 from Punter,supported by attacking fifties from Matt Hayden and Andrew Symonds(Roy) pummelled the Aussie total to 317/7 in the stipulated 50 overs.
Chasing this total,India were off to a shaky start,having lost openers V. Sehwag and S. R. Tendulkar cheaply. No. 4 batter R. G. Sharma and star all-rounder Yuvraj Singh too failed to impress,as India were reduced to a precarious 51 for 4 in 10.2 overs.
But one man was looking absolutely calm and cool- Gautam Gambhir.
He tried to forge a partnership with skipper M. S. Dhoni.
As Dhoni was playing an extremely slow knock on that day(36 off 66 balls),Gambhir had to take up the role of the attacker.
If a batsman plays 11 full overs himself,and scores only 36 runs in those,then I guess you guys can well understand how high the required run rate becomes,especially when your team is chasing a 300+ total. And simultaneously,it puts a lot of pressure on the batter who’s batting alongside you.
Whatever,Dhoni’s struggle was finally ended by Lee,as he edged one to the keeper.
Finally,Gambhir found an able ally in the form of R. V. Uthappa.
They shared a quickfire 69 run stand in just 52 balls. But the required run rate had gone very very high by then.
Gautam Gambhir,the dashing Gautam Gambhir scored 113 off just 119 balls,with the help of 9 sweetly timed 4s and 1 huge 6. He reached his 100 off 109 balls.
Apologies- I couldn’t find an image of the toss of this match. Hence I had to enclose an image of the toss of the CWC 2011 Quarter final clash. My heartiest apologies for the inconvenience.